


12 Monkeys Season 2 Imagined

by missing_europe



Category: 12 Monkeys (TV)
Genre: Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Psychological Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-25
Updated: 2015-04-25
Packaged: 2018-03-25 16:22:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 21,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3817003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missing_europe/pseuds/missing_europe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is my first piece of fan fiction, done as an homage to the amazing TV show 12 Monkeys. I just fell in love with the story and especially the slow burn relationship between Cole and Cassie - and I just want them to be together, even though it will never be easy. I started writing this after the end of Ep 12 'Paradox', then continued on after the heartbreaking ending of 'Arms of Mine'. I read up on all the interviews I could get my hands on from the show's writers to see which direction they wanted the show to take in season 2, and re-watched the series to look for clues to try to make everything fit. I hope that this story is consistent with the facts of the show, because I'm a fan of stories that try to stay faithful to the small details. Also, there were a couple of small cheeky nods to the show Nikita in this story, because Birkhoff, and because Terry Matalas and Travis Fickett were also involved with that show. If you like my story, kudos appreciated. I did post this as separate stories on fanfiction.net, but I've edited them more carefully into one giant story here.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Part one – _What happened after the end of Season 1 Episode 12: “Paradox”_**

 

1

 

They stood there silently together, watching young Cole meet young José for the very first time in the icy courtyard of the children’s home. The recent events ran fresh and clear in their minds, casting a shadow over the moment.

The glass of milk shattering, the running down of the dark alley, the shadowy menacing figures, the boy being whisked away – all these piecemeal haunting images now took on new meaning for Cole.  As if a gate had been flung open, memories of Cassie from his childhood flooded into Cole’s mind, drowning out other painful thoughts. He could not tell if these memories were always a part of his timeline or if they were something new manifesting into his past and giving his current present a new reality. Even he wasn’t sure that made sense. Time travel is messy.

But with the sudden clarity of yesterday, he now saw all the details of the memories he had of Cassie when he was just a boy. The siren songstress of his childhood stood next to him in a soft halo of goodness and light. What was that doleful song she sang to him? It was always those soulful searching eyes that had been with him during his darkest moments. He could remember the scent of her smooth blonde hair as he clung to her delicate, protective yet all-encompassing grip, as she whisked him away from harm.  He remembers now, the jarring but unforgettable mix of feeling fear and complete safety all at once.

Cassie now stood next to him as the woman which Cole had felt the presence of for all his life, but could only just now put a name to. He didn’t understand this before Tokyo, but everything has changed now. How did he not know it was her all along, until now? Of course, Cassie could have no idea that he now felt with absolute certainty that she has always been in his heart and in his blood. _Does she think he knew all along?_ Even he wasn’t sure if he did or not. These new memories of his past are as confusing as they are comforting to him.

He looked at her with new reverence and trepidation in his eyes, and whatever feeling it was that he felt for her before, now deepened to a new and purer level.

 

2

 

“Are you sure we should leave him here? Maybe I could see...” asked Cassie hesitantly, her heart constricted at leaving such a beautiful young boy – this young orphan who will grow up to turn her world upside down – into the care of total strangers. Her brow knitted up in a small worry frown.

“Ah… he’ll be alright. We’ll make friends”, said Cole, almost instinctively and calmly. He smiled at the obvious care and concern that Cassie felt for young Cole. It was touching. At the same time, his mind was racing with conflicting thoughts.

Of course both Cole and Cassie knew that José would grow up to betray their mission and put a knife into Cole in that nightclub in Tokyo, with murder in his eyes.

They watched as young José took young Cole under his wings. Cole smiled, more to convince Cassie that this was the right thing to do, even if at this moment, thoughts of rushing over and snapping José’s little neck did flash through his mind.

But Cole did no such thing. He stood planted right there, stayed by the one thought that shouted loud and clear over all the other messy half-formed ones - _If he had never met José, he might not have survived life in the wilderness until Project Splinter, and he might never have ever been sent back in time… and then he might never have met Cassie._

No. His angel and guiding light. The only good thing in his miserable, debased life. He could never risk erasing her from his timeline. She is too important. _She is too precious._

He convinced himself that it is something that must be. Young José must be allowed to live as a brother to young Cole. Because it is what brought him to Cassie at this moment, right now, to live in her time. Plus, he survived Tokyo, so what other damage can José possibly do? They are still a step ahead of the game, right?

Cole contemplated Katarina Jones’ last words to him: “There’s one thing you have to understand. The paradox, has the might and authority to travel back to your time. You live here now.”

He understood that this should have been bad news, but it felt like the best news that he had ever received. If this meant that he could live with Cassie by his side for at least a few more days – no splintering away, no being killed by Striking Woman and her gang of epidemic thugs – then all the senseless pain of his life could be forgiven.

 

3

Cassie stood next to Cole as they watched young Cole received into care. She could feel her heart breaking in that moment. She had to breathe deeply to hold back the tears that threatened to fall from her overflowing eyes. Her breath shuddered. How she wanted to be the one to look after him, to keep him safe, and to show him how loved he is. How impossible she knew that would be to have both young and older Cole in her life at the same time.

She could still feel the clutch of young Cole’s frightened but trusting arms around her neck, and the feel of his light body coiled against her side, as she rushed him out of harm's way. She could still hear how his quickened breath had slowly stilled against her embrace, as she softly whispered a sad but beautiful song into his ear - a song that her mother sang to mourn the loss of loved ones. A song she sang to herself those many empty nights after Cole had splintered away, leaving her all alone again. She could still feel the baby soft silkiness of the hairs on young Cole’s head, as she gently soothed him from the horrors he was forced to witness in the alley, and from the grief he must be feeling.

She suddenly wanted to reach out to touch Cole, who was now standing next to her as this rugged, beautiful and battered man. _Finally, the Cole that she might be allowed to keep._

She had watched the shattering of everything that was good in his young life right before her eyes, as the Pallid Man squeezed the trigger and emptied the bullets into his father’s beating chest. _What must he be thinking right now? Would he blame her?_ She pushed these dangerous thoughts aside.

His father was a strong and virtuous man, and she could see where all the goodness in Cole came from. The goodness that even the savage hand of his life could not stamp out of him. She mourned his father’s passing in that very moment with a deepness of sorrow that she had never felt before. Perhaps she felt that it was her fault.

In her desperation to save Cole, she also destroyed his young life. And ultimately, she knew that the overriding reason why she needed to save him from dying was because she wasn’t ready to let him go again. She could not bear to grieve his death once more. The guilt twisted in her heart.

She had to tell herself that the “future her” had good reasons for leaving Jones’ 2015 address in Cole’s pocket, even with full knowledge that these events would inevitably happen as a consequence. She had to believe it that it had to be for the greater good of the mission. _Yes, that must be it._

Part of her is consoled by the fact that another consequence of these terrible events is that Cole is now part of her present, permanently, and she can finally engage in a fair fight against time to keep him by her side for as long as she can.

As to Aaron... that snake in the grass. Her feelings of anger and revulsion at what he did are equalled only by her disappointment in him… and herself. She had allowed him to take advantage of her loneliness, listened to him belittling and chiding her as misguided for her obvious growing attachment for Cole. She had given in to him as he doggedly persisted in pursuing the relationship with her in spite of her growing reluctance and distance.

At the time, she had felt so helpless and hopeless about her feelings for Cole, because she did not know how she could hold on to him for more than a moment each time, never knowing when she would next see him again. Even she wanted to believe Aaron that her feelings were childish and silly, because that would have been easier. But now she knows that love is never a mistake.

Aaron was a distraction from the void. At the time, she rationalised being with him because of what he could do to help keep the mission alive. _Help the mission._ He always fought to derail her from the mission. In the end, he crossed the line and almost destroyed everything that both she and Cole had risked their lives over and over again for. Aaron had meant for Cole to be killed. This thought was too much to bear.

She will never, ever let Aaron be a part of her life again. The relief she felt with this realisation was palpable. It was like letting go of old baggage.

 

4

Now that Cole could never be splintered away from her again, there is no one else. She could stop trying to talk herself out of her feelings for him, and to finally allow them to come to the fore. Now the conflict between her heart and her mission to stop the plague has been healed by the paradox. All the pieces have finally fallen into place. Her heart thumped deeply in her chest. She could almost hear it beating through her ears.

When she dared to look over to Cole, she met his tentative gaze from under the feathers of his brooding lashes. Behind the dark gaze of his heavy lidded gentle eyes, she could see forgiveness and tenderness for her. And maybe even something more. And once more her mind turned to the thought that all of this had to come to pass for them to stand here together today, together to fight for another day. Because Jones was right. He is so much more to her.

Cassie could feel the tension spark in the hair’s breadth that stood between their bodies. They leaned so closely together, yet did not touch. How many times have they stood like this, almost touching, drawn to each other’s gravity like two planets in orbit? A current charged through the millimetre’s distance between them and she could feel the hairs on her arms stand up, causing a warm tingling sensation to ripple over her skin.  Remembering how young Cole clung to her and didn’t want to let go, she found the courage to close the distance.

With a deliberated move, she slipped her hand into Cole’s and wove her fingers between his, and in that instance felt the perfect moulding of their touch.

Cole did not flinch. He gratefully squeezed his hand tighter into hers, and it took her breath away. A rush of warmth, stronger this time, spread through her arms and reverberated throughout her body, awakening a warm ache between her legs. She squeezed her thighs together and took another deep but silent breath, to still the rush of giddiness flowing up into her head.

 

5

On the surface he tried to look calm and cool, but all Cole could really concentrate on was the melting and perfect feeling of Cassie’s soft, velvety, slender hand which unexpectedly ended up in his, and what this feeling was doing to his head. Never in all his wretched and tortured life could he remember feeling the intoxicating and loving warmth of a beautiful woman’s hand in his like this. The total trust, the total surrender, and the aching gentleness of that simple gesture was something that he had no access to in his post-apocalyptic life. That this feeling came as a gift from the hand of his vintage woman, almost broke him.

Until recently, most of his encounters with Cassie involved a good deal of death, pain, and violence - which he felt guilty for and wanted so much to make up to her for. He was determined to take every opportunity he could to bring something good into her life.

Feeling Cassie’s hand holding onto his, he felt her protectiveness and possessiveness towards him, but he could not be sure that he wasn’t reading too much into it. He was never very good at this stuff. Besides, he didn’t know what to think, being a person from a different epoch – _what if this was something that normal people did with each other in Cassie’s time?_ He had so much to learn, and he didn’t want to screw things up so early.

All he knew was that he never wanted to let her go. In that moment, he felt that their two worlds had collided head on for the very first time. Before this moment, he had agonised for so many nights back in 2043 that they might just be condemned to forever be ships passing in the night. He remembered the bitter defeat he felt as he wondered helplessly about how he could beat Aaron for the chance to be with her. _He didn’t have to worry about that selfish quivering shadow of a man anymore, after what he just did._

Cole didn’t dare to look directly at Cassie’s beautiful, serene face, in case his eyes would betray his feelings of yearning and longing for even more of her. What if he was mistaken and was making more of this than he was supposed to? What if holding hands doesn’t really mean as much in Cassie’s time as it felt to him right now?

Cole decided that it would be wise to hold his cards close to his chest for a little longer, and to try to hold back his aching, hungry heart from making any rash moves right now, because the last thing he wanted to do was to scare her away. Plus, he now had time and he intends to cherish every moment of it with her – to do right by her, as much as he is capable of doing in his ham-fisted post-apocalyptic way. All of this is unchartered territory to him.

So he just held on more deeply to her hand and allowed his thumb to slowly stroke her forefinger meaningfully, slowly up and down once, before letting it rest back onto her smooth knuckle into a steady grip.

He can’t deny that his cock had involuntarily twitched at her touch, and he looked down to check that he didn’t have a boner showing through to give his position away. They still have a mission to accomplish after all.

Silently they stood like this watching little Cole make friends with José, until all the children were called back inside for dinner, and it was just the two of them again. They now needed to find a place to stay, because he’s just blown up her library with his paradoxical resurrection, along with the Pallid Man and his thug. Who knows if they survived? They couldn’t go back there now. _They_ might be looking for them there right now. And his personal mission now included protecting Cassie from any harm. So they needed to think and go somewhere safe to regroup, before making any more moves.

 

6

Cole and Cassie were now officially on the run from Striking Woman, her followers, and her informants. _Aaron was now an informant and must be considered dangerous._ Cassie looked down at her fist and touched the back of it, making sure to never forget how good it felt to smack Aaron in the face when he told her what he had done and tried to force her into the car and away from Cole. _Good - I hope it hurt_ , she thought to herself.

“Where can we go to disappear and lay low until we figure out what to do?” Cole asked Cassie. He is not familiar with this 2015 city in the same way as Cassie, so he had to trust her judgement.

“I know a place in Chinatown where we can rent rooms cash in hand. Real off the book stuff. I once treated a patient there who needed not to be found. I don’t think anyone would suspect. I think we will be safe there, at least for tonight. C’mon, let’s go before we’re spotted. They must know to look for us here at the children’s home.”

“You’re the boss. Lead the way.” Cole smiled indulgently at Cassie, feeling proud of her decisiveness. _What would he do without her?_

Cassie took hold of Cole’s hand once more and led him away between the buildings, down the tree lined path alongside the park, and they bundled into the first available taxi to carry them away into the bustle of the city as needles falling into a haystack.

They sat silently at the back of the cab, holding their thoughts and words until they reached the safety of total privacy. Cassie never did let go of Cole’s hand.

 


	2. In the Rented Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't we all wonder what happened to Cole and Cassie between the time they left off at the children's home, and when they woke up next to each other the next morning?

7

The room wasn’t much. It had one window that opened up a short metre away from the wall of another building. A room with no view. It was perfect. No one looking for them could possibly see in, but they drew the dusty curtains just in case. In the middle of the room was a simple bed, furnished with sheets, a single quilt, and a couple of over-stuffed pillows. The room felt cold as the only radiator seemed to conk in and out of service with a will all of its own. There was a wooden desk and a chair, with peeling chips around its edges. It had obviously not been used for any serious work in a long time. On the wall, there hung a faded poster for an obsolete cigarette brand, illustrated by a painted Shanghai lady caring for her fat, jolly baby.

Cassie suddenly realised that all the papers she had been poring over were destroyed in the blast - the blast that left Cole lying naked on the floor. She blushed involuntarily at the memory of finding Cole there with nothing to cover his body. She had noticed every curve and sinew of his limbs and muscles and remembered thinking about what it would feel like to wrap her body around his. The scene imprinted more deeply in her memory than she realised at the time. If she closed her eyes, she could still see his chest heave up and down, the soft fuzz of hair that trailed seductively down the lower part of his navel to the place of his well-formed manhood. _Yes, she did look._ Her face was now definitely very warm.

When he saw her expression, Cole looked at her face with an inquisitive but uncertain gaze. He touched her arm gently and asked if everything was fine. She smiled nervously and was about to instinctively invent a little denial, but bit her tongue. _You don’t have to talk yourself out of your feelings for him anymore!_ She thought. _But that doesn’t mean you have to come on too strong either._ So she just nudged him backwards playfully and changed the subject.

“Are you hungry? I’m starving. We need to lay low tonight, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t order in some food.” She absent-mindedly leafed through the takeaway flyers strewn across the desk by the telephone, pretending to read the items on offer even though she found it difficult to string the letters on the page together into comprehensible language.

“Sure, but only if the food is prepared and delivered by the General himself.” Teased Cole, trying to lighten the situation, even though he knotted up inside. He wondered what it was that made Cassie go red. She was looking at the bed. _Was she embarrassed to realise that there was only one bed in this room?_ He could take the floor if it made her more comfortable. Yes, maybe that’s it. Maybe he read it all wrong earlier and got a little ahead of himself, he thought sadly. It wouldn’t be the first time he had to sleep somewhere cold, and at least here he wouldn’t have to worry about scavs attacking him in the night. He shook his head lightly and let out a breath through his nose, like a small balloon deflating, then he stood up straight and looked ahead across at the desk. This did not get past Cassie.

“What is it Cole?”

“You can take the bed Cassie. You don’t have to share it with me. I can take the floor.”

Taken aback by Cole’s completely divergent reading of the situation, Cassie shook her head perhaps a little too vigorously and sighed “No. God no. Why would you think I’d want that? The bed is big enough for two.” She could see the complete confusion on Cole’s face, and decided she needed to offer more. “I need you to be by my side, Cole.” Immediately, her face turned pink again. She couldn’t explain why she felt so embarrassed to utter those words, because they were the truth. _Smoothly done, Dr. Cassandra Railly. Smoothly done._

“Oh.” blurted Cole, as he let her words sink in through his thick post-apocalyptic skull. He looked at his hands and wondered what he was supposed to do. He just wanted to play his cards right, but he never anticipated how difficult it would be to know what is the right thing to do, especially now that he was here to stay. But if he didn’t say anything, he might really then have blown it. _Think, Cole. Say something… human._ He had to learn to live as a normal human being again, and not as a time traveller. _I need you to be by my side, Cole._ Did she really just say that?

“Cassie, you need to know that I feel a little out of place right now, and I am having a little difficulty knowing how I should stop living as a time traveller. I don’t even know whether I’m reading what’s going on here -” his finger tracing the space between the two of them “- correctly, or completely back to front. But there is no one else in this world that I would rather be figuring out how to be a normal - well, ish - human again than with you. I don’t want to mess things up, Cass. But I wouldn’t be anywhere else in the world right now, not even Florida, if it meant leaving you.”

Wow. She did not expect to hear those words from Cole, the self-proclaimed _not-very-good-talker_. Every word he just said touched her to the core. Cassie realised that so much that has passed between them had been left unsaid. No wonder he wasn’t sure if he understood the situation right. She strode towards Cole and placed a hand on his face and stroked his cheek tenderly, looking into his eyes as she fought to find more words to put things into perspective for him. She rested her face against his chest and wrapped her arms tenderly around his back as she dug deep for the right thing to say. She pressed her body more tightly against his for a moment longer, to make sure that he wasn’t going to bolt before saying what needed to be said.

“You really have no idea how lonely I felt without you all this time when you would splinter away without a second’s warning. For so long, the only permanent connection I had to you was through the work we started together. It’s you Cole. It’s you that had become the first and last person I thought about every day for all this time. I never did get over it when I thought you died in Chechnya. My world fell apart when I thought you died. I cried over you for so many times and I had no one to share that with. Now that everything has changed, I never want to be apart from you again. I want to be in this together with you from now on. I hope after what happened earlier today because of me…” and the sad image of Cole’s father’s lifeless body flashed before her eyes “…you can eventually forgive me for. I don’t know how I could have carried on if I lost you again. I had to save you. I had to.”

The weight of her words hit him with a force he had never felt before, and filled a gaping crack in his heart. _So it is true, this really is the beginning into the unknown he had never really dared to hope for._ All those times he talked to José about coming back to have his wicked way with his vintage woman, he had never seriously thought he had a chance. And even if he did, he would want to cherish every moment slowly, like carefully peeling the wrapping paper off from the best present he would ever get. A surge of feeling welled up through him and he wanted her to feel everything he was feeling for her right now. He gently peeled Cassie's face back from his chest so that he could look into her eyes. There was unmistakable sadness and tenderness in her expression.

“Cassie, there is nothing to forgive. You hear me? _Nothing to forgive._ You are all I could hope for and more. I’ve come back for you so many times and now I’m not leaving you again. You got that?” And with those words, he cradled her face gently between his palms and slowly brought his face close to hers. Still looking into her eyes, their noses brushed softly against each other’s, as their breath quickened with the closing of the distance that had previously existed between them through a wall of unspoken words. Now the walls were coming down.

“James Cole…” panted Cassie through her breath, as his warm lips took hers softly within his. It was a gentle kiss, as he closed his mouth slowly over her upper lip first, tasting her velvety softness melt into his lips. He pulled apart for a brief moment and let out a shuddering breath. He felt weak and giddy in his head as stars clouded his vision momentarily. He closed his eyes and brushed his forehead against the side of her precious perfect face to steady himself. Then he opened his eyes again and looked at her, and almost died when he saw the longing in her eyes for more.  

Happy to oblige, he kissed her more deeply this time, parting her lips with his soft, nimble and hungry tongue, tracing her shape and savouring the sweetness of her mouth with slow, deliberate and sensual strokes. She responded eagerly with sighs of relief between each gentle brush and suck of lips, and slow dance of warm tongues, her hands now bravely stroking the contours of his neck, his arms and waist. He circled his arms more closely around her body and brought her into a protective embrace, as their mouths continued to explore each other’s longingly. They kissed like this for a long time before they finally broke apart.

With a boyish smile, Cole said playfully: “So how about that take away? I’m hungry. And you most definitely need feeding. Don’t worry. No more splintering. We have time, for a change.” A smile of pure happiness rose through Cassie’s face. _We have time, for a change._ These were the happiest words she has heard in a long time.

 

 


	3. Cassie's Gone. Ramse is Dying.

**Part 2 – _What happens after Season 1 Episode 13: “Arms of Mine”_**

1

Ramse lay silently on the ground as he took slow painful breaths. He held on to the gunshot wound and watched as the blood slowed from a spill to a trickle under the pressure of his hand. He considered whether he should just let go and allow himself to bleed out.

_What have I done?_ The question played itself over in his mind. When Olivia told him that history will record him as having been found dead next to the time machine, he thought it was meant to be the guard. He thought he was meant to shoot the guard whom they would misidentify as him, as part of the cover story they had agreed on to allow him to return quietly to his son. 

_His son._ He can’t even remember his own son’s face, and Elena is long dead. All he wants is to see his son again, and he’s not sure how likely that’s going to happen now. Did Olivia ever really plan for him to see his son again? This hope had kept him going for the past 28 years, but now, he can feel it fading. Once again, he considered lifting his hand from the wound. He held on fast though, because that’s what survivors do. If he’s meant to die today, the bullet wound will take care of that all by itself without his help.

Ramse watched quietly as Cole lifted Cassie’s weak and dying body up into his arms and close to his body. The way his brother held Cassie, it was as if she was the most precious thing in the world to him. It hurt him to have to watch Cole set her bleeding body down so carefully at the time machine, as if he was afraid he would break her. He watched Cassie too. The way she looked at Cole, he could see how much Cole meant to her too.

He looked on as Cole and Cassie said their tearful and trembling goodbyes to each other. The panic and emotion that passed unspoken between his brother and the woman he that he so clearly adored, left Ramse feeling quite shook up. He watched as Cole’s world fell apart again and felt the full force of his betrayal to his best friend, his brother, hit him in the gut. 

_Ramse, you son of a bitch, when did you become that guy? Was it really worth it?_ Even as Ramse lay dying here, a part of his humanity that he had buried a long time ago started to resurface. A pressure built up behind his eyes, but his weakened and parched body kept his eyes dry. He shook his head gently, closed his eyes and let out a sigh.

The room was now silent, as Cole took off shortly after Cassie’s splintering. It was such a shock to see Cole alive, he just knew immediately that all these years, he was right to suspect that Olivia might not have been providing him with the whole truth.

He wondered whether he had been played by Olivia like a pawn in a larger game which he would not have willingly signed up to. Olivia will not help him now - either she had meant for him to die today, or she would force him to kill Cole if she finds him alive. She is not a friend. _What was he thinking?_

He thought about why he had almost instinctually given Cassie the time serum - this was not a scenario he had ran through his mind before today. He didn’t understand it entirely himself, but his keenly honed survival instincts had told him to do it.

So what was it that made him do it? If he’s entirely honest with himself, it wasn’t really because he thought Katarina Jones would not save him - even if that might be the case. He wondered if he had sent Cassie to the future, in case it might stop Cole from doing something in 2015 that will erase his son’s future. No, that wasn’t it. He knows that wouldn’t have worked. If he has learned anything about Jones at all, it’s her obsession to the mission. And the mission will never have started if Cassie stays in the future. Jones will do anything to send Cassie back safely.

And then he finally understood why he did that. If he survives this shooting, he’s going to need more time serum if he wants to see his son again. Dr Jones, Katarina’s husband, is compromised, so he can’t go back to the source for more. But sending Cassie forward could help him.

Cassie is not immune to the virus, so Jones will have to protect her until she can send her back here. And whilst it is a long shot, if Cassie makes it back, she would be the only doctor that he knows of whom could be convinced to analyse the sample left in the syringe and reverse engineer more time serum. He’ll have to work out how to convince her later, if both of them pull through by the skin of their teeth. He tucked the syringe safely into his jacket pocket.

Ramse remembered something Jones said to Cole once, about Dr Cassandra Railly: “Remember Mr Cole. She is not the mission. She is just a puzzle piece.” He half chuckled to himself at the cruel irony of the new situation. Cassie is now central to everyone’s mission.

Ramse’s only job now will be to try not to die, even though he knows it will take a miracle for that to happen. He pressed on to his wound a little harder, knowing that a time traveller’s body can withstand greater injury and heal more quickly, given the chance.

He silently thanked his lucky stars that he had the foresight to make contingencies over the past few years, by quietly skimming off the surface of Ethan Seki’s portfolio under another name, which he can rely on if he ever needed to disappear from Olivia’s grip. Call it his survival instinct and wisdom from age.


	4. saving Ramse

2

Cole was sprinting down the hallway at break neck speed. He was completely beside himself with a sharp grief that clenched at his heart. He has once again lost Cassie either through time or death. And the worst bit is that he would have no idea whether she made it to Jones or not, or whether she could even be saved.

He could still see her face as the light was fading from her eyes, and how that had made him freeze to the spot, unable to stay his hands away from stroking her beautiful face. Seeing her in that kind of pain just ripped him to shreds. He felt so helpless, and now his world is stark and empty with her gone. He clenched his fists into tight balls and dug his nails into his palms to stop himself from shouting out in anguish.

Last night in that rented room, he had allowed himself to believe that he could have had a future with Cassie at least until 2017, to continue the fight together. Two years or even a few more days with her would have been a sweet eternity. How foolish it was that he thought they had time.

Cole thought of that kiss they had shared right before they ordered takeaway and sat down to draw up their battle plans. Rattled by the rawness of the recent memories, he ground his teeth into his clenched jaw and let out some air through flared nostrils. It pained him now that he can remember so clearly what her mouth tasted like and how nice her hair smelt. He didn’t know if he could handle much more of this.

He remembered how they had agreed that once the coast was clear, they would go back for her car and to retrieve the digital backups of her investigation which got destroyed in the blast he caused at the library. After that, they agreed that the next priority would be to find, capture, and if necessary, physically persuade Aaron to tell them what he knows.

Understanding their grim task ahead, Cole didn’t think it was _the moment_ to try it on with Cassie last night. It was her ex, after all, which they were planning an assault and interrogation on. So he had just held her in his arms and stroked her hair gently until she fell asleep. He thought he had time to be a gentleman.

He opened his hands and saw that he drew blood. Everything had happened so quickly, he wasn’t thinking clearly about what to do now that Cassie is gone. Before Cassie came in and shot Ramse, Cole had asked Ramse if he had really become the kind of person who would kill 7 billion people to save one. He remembered his response: “You’d do the same thing, for her. You’re going to tell me, that you risking your life coming back all this time was for everyone? No… Cassie.” He remembered feeling shaken by what Ramse had said. He did not want to admit that Ramse might have been right. But Cole could swear that he also saw a bit of his brother’s humanity come back.

_Stop, Cole. Stop running. You have to go back to save yourself._ It was almost as if he heard Cassie calling out to him from inside his head as his voice of reason. He had left Ramse to bleed out, but he knew he had to go back. He can’t let him die here on his own, not after everything they have gone through. Watching young Cole meet young José again the other day also brought him right back. Besides, Ramse may have valuable information, and his own survival in 2015 as an undocumented individual can get tricky on his own. Going back to save Ramse is the right thing to do. No one has to die. They can find another way.


	5. See You Soon

3

Cole grabbed Ramse up from the ground and threw his limp arm over his own shoulder. Both of them were familiar with the facilities and knew the way out by the vents. They made it to Cassie’s car. This car is the only thing that Cole has left of Cassie, and it will save them today. He took the keys out from where Cassie had hidden them nearby, in case either of them needed a quick escape from an unexpected intrusion, like the one that got Cassie killed outside the night room that time. They thought they had planned for everything, but not this.

Cole quickly strapped reams of dressing over José’s bleeding torso to keep pressure on his wound, then set him down across the back row of the seats. “Thanks Cole… we can… find…” gurgled José weakly. “Don’t talk, José. Keep still. We’ll take a closer look once we get somewhere safe.” José nodded weakly and looked his brother in the eye with gratitude. “Okay. I’ll just close my eyes for a bit... So... Tired...” “Hold on, José, we will get out of this together and figure out another way.”

Cole sat himself behind the wheel and looked into the mirror. He could see that his eyes were red and swollen. _I can’t lose two people whom my life has depended on, all in the same day._ Without further delay _,_ he turned the key in the ignition to start the engine. The car roared to life along with the music. Otis Redding’s Arms of Mine came on. Cole immediately smashed his hand on the player to make it stop, and hoped that he didn’t break it. That song is just too raw for him right now.

It was a fine day, but Cole felt as if all the stars had gone out. He had to summon all his strength to focus on driving the car without crashing it. He just about managed to return to where he shared a room with Cassie last night. Luckily, other drivers were obviously buoyed by the beautiful sunrise and were willing to overlook his occasional erratic handle on the wheel.

His parking job was awful, but he didn’t care. He rummaged through the boot and found a medical kit, which was much better stocked than the kits they used to use at the West VII camps to patch each other up. He’s done this before so he can do it again. He helped José up the stairs and into the room, set him down on the bed, and removed the old dressings.

Now that the adrenaline has subsided a bit, he looked over at José and wondered what he was to do with him once he manages to get his condition stabilised. He honestly didn't know, but now is hardly the time to get philosophical. Instead, he quickly got to work with extracting the bullet fragments, cleaning the wound, and stitching it up. José passed out during the operation, but he was still breathing. He has lost a lot of blood, so he’ll need fluids. Luckily for him, Cassie’s car boot is a mini mobile emergency room. José will make it.

4

Cole paced around the room until he came to the desk. His gaze fell on the empty takeaway boxes that remained on the desk. He could still see a trace of Cassie’s lipstick on one of the plastic spoons. He touched his hand to the spoon and felt a lump rise in his throat.

_Pull yourself together Cole. Stop thinking of Cassie as dead and gone. If José’s serum worked and she made it through, Jones will make sure she comes back. You’ve just got to survive and figure out where she can find you. You will see her again._

He cleared the desk of the rubbish from last night and threw it into the bin, then threw himself like a sack of potatoes onto the chair. He stared blankly at the empty space on the table. He thought he saw something that wasn't there before. _Is that...?_ Amongst the scratches on the table's surface he saw something that looked like a freshly etched message: 'See you soon' next to a post code: ‘NY 11358’.


	6. Saving Cassie

**Part 3 – _What happens in 2043 after Cassie arrives_**

1

“What is this?” The Leader of the Twelve asked out loud, his fearful eyes darted side to side in confusion as he tried to verify whether if he had forgotten an important piece of the timeline. No. The period of interference was meant to have come to an end. The cycle was meant to have been completed. This was not written. The timeline is being changed.

Before him, the time machine started to rattle and whirl into life. A jet of blinding light shot out of one end into the other, then a stunning blond woman materialised in the seat. She was bleeding from the torso and gasping for air through painful breaths. Besides her wound, this woman was too clean to be from the future. “But this can’t be…” With his mouth agape, the Leader of the Twelve stumbled backwards and almost knocked over another hooded figure.

Dr Jones was halfway towards being escorted out of the room by Deacon when she turned around and recognised the frightened face that appeared out of the time machine. “Cassie...” she breathed out incredulously. Her mind worked furiously to fit this piece of new information into the giant puzzle she has been assembling in her mind.

Before today, she could swear that she had only seen Cassie’s face through photos pinned on their research board, but now she is starting to remember something else… a young boy, a fatal shooting, a children’s home… Dr Jones’ eyes widened as realisation dawned on her.

Last night, when Katarina was going through Hannah’s things, she had found an old business card for a Northside Garage in Philadelphia. It was the strangest feeling, looking at that card. At first, she didn’t recognise the image of this green pick up truck with the address. Then it felt as if her head was being filled with fragments of _new_ _memories._ This must have been how Cole felt when he had jumped between alternate timelines. Something bigger is definitely happening here.

Katarina’s attention quickly snapped back to Cassie’s fading and bleeding form. She will have to try to question her later if she has the chance. Suddenly Dr Jones found her voice and lept into action. “Move! Make way! She needs medical attention!” But before she could get to the incubating chamber, she felt Deacon’s iron grip close painfully around her arm, preventing her from getting any closer.

One of Deacon’s men rushed forward with a loaded gun and took aim at Dr Railly, then slumped to the ground just as quickly. With lightning quick reflexes, one of the Twelve sliced Dr Railly’s would-be assailant across the stomach with a knife and slung him in the back of the head with the heavy hilt.

“Hey! He’s my crew! What have you done to him?” roared Deacon angrily, stepping forward to challenge the Leader of the Twelve. “This woman was not a part of the deal. She could be a problem!”

“To you, maybe.” said the Leader of the Twelve, with a soft, calm and emotionless voice. He didn’t like Deacon much and hardly viewed him as a threat. He bore a cold stony glare directly into Deacon’s face. If his face was capable of conveying any emotions, it might have been annoyance. “We need to understand what we are dealing with first.” he continued in his soft voice, without breaking the cold eye contact. “If it turns out that we will need her, we need her alive. If not, we can undo that mistake... later. Tell your men not to do anything… that cannot be undone.”

Deacon was not used to being talked down to or being given orders by anyone, and he didn’t like it one bit. His left eye blinked and twitched as he could barely conceal his anger at having his authority challenged like this in front of his men. He made a mental note to teach this pallid figure a lesson that he will not forget. He let go of his grip on Dr Jones and shoved her forward in a single gesture, then spat on the ground before returning his rabid glare at the Leader’s unmoving face.

“Out of the way! Clear the room!” This time it is Dr Jones shouting orders to everyone, including the Twelve. _Did this woman just give us orders?_ Deacon looked at the Leader, who, incredulously, responded with a small nod to Jones’ direction. Deacon let out a snort and a dry laugh, put his hands up and called his men out. Shortly after, the Twelve also retreated from the room.

“Not you, Dr Adler, Marcus. You will stay and help.” Commanded Dr. Jones, unphased. She shouted out a few more orders to them. Without questioning, they spun into action and brought Dr Railly out of the chair and into the medical chamber. They hooked her up to various life support functions before setting about to scan her injuries.

The bullet had shattered in her cavity and hit her intestines and took out one of her kidneys. They immediately set about cutting out tissue that was beyond repair. They had to remove the damaged kidney, remove parts of her intestines, and cut away a small part of her liver. When they were satisfied that there were no more bullet fragments, they set about cauterising broken blood vessels, and injected her with antibiotics to help her heal.

After they completed the last stitch to close up the wound, the three of them took a moment to catch their breath. “Normally the injuries and blood loss she had sustained should have been fatal.” Mused Dr Jones. She quickly took a swab of Cassie’s blood and slotted it under a microscope.

“It is as I thought. Her molecular structure is in flux. Someone must have given her a time serum in 2015.” She glanced up at Dr Adler and met his gaze. “How very interesting.” They exchanged a meaningful glance.

“Good lord! But that’s not possible! Unless... are you saying…?” Dr Jones and Dr Adler mouthed the same silent word to each other: “Elliot.” Katarina’s eyebrows raised slowly upwards to let Dr Adler know that they were onto the same thing.

Marcus didn’t catch on to what was going on and shot them both an inquisitive look. He hated being kept in the dark, being asked to give his loyalty to those whose true thoughts and plans he was not privy to. It was only his respect for the chain of command instilled during his military training that had kept him in check.

The doctors decided that it was best not to fill Marcus in, and gave him the look which commanded him not to ask anymore questions. The less he knows the better. Right now, their only weapon to keep the project alive is knowledge, and they better make sure that it does not get into the wrong hands.


	7. Uninvited Guests

2

It’s late at night and almost everyone at the compound was asleep. There weren’t many guards left because Deacon’s crew and the Twelve had killed most of them on the day that they stormed the facility. The Twelve could not get that German doctor to open her tight lips to divulge any new information or insight into this latest turn of events, but they wouldn’t let Deacon’s crew hurt her either.

“We will need her” they kept saying. Deacon could swear this woman was toying with them and he would very much like to smash her in the face, or at least break a few of her fingers. Why is that German so important to these pallid men? Whatever it is they needed from her, they seem convinced it’s something that cannot be coerced by force. None of the Twelve seem to be willing to do anything until Cassie comes around. It pissed Deacon off to high heaven to think this arrogant German bitch somehow managed to be in charge again, putting him third - _Third! -_ in command.

Deacon ordered one of his crew to stand guard by the door as he snuck into the chamber at the early hours of the morning, to pay their unconscious and uninvited guest a little visit. 

Cassie has been kept inside the glass incubating chamber for over a week now. She had been unconscious the whole time, held suspended in a semi-coma. The monitor hooked up to her vitals showed that she was weak, but alive and on the mend.

Deacon circled the chamber that Cassie was hooked into, tapping the glass softly as his dark mind worked to figure out who this woman was. No one was telling him anything. All he knew was that Dr Jones had recognised this woman, and that Jones had been sending Cole back in time. He sure as hell hadn’t seen this blond around here before. He would have known. He could think of many things he would have done to this pretty little lady if he had caught her wandering around.

_Who is this woman?_ “Holy Sheee’it…” said Deacon to himself in a moment of clarity. His eyes pinged opened with delight as he chuckled dryly to himself. “Ho ho! This must be one of Cole’s. Oh, I’m gonna have so much fun with this one.” He slapped the glass triumphantly with his hand, proud of working something out by himself for once.

He looked greedily at Cassie’s resting face, a wry smile twisted on his lips. He swayed his head side to side with a cocky smirk, as his mind filled with depraved images of what he would like to do to her when she finally comes to. He reached down and grabbed his balls through his filthy trousers to give them as adjustment.

“I’ll show you a welcoming party you won’t forget, little missy. Oh, I am looking forward to _filling you in_ with that.” Then he left the chamber before he would get spotted by one of those cloaked bastards, went back to his quarters and rubbed one out fiercely.


	8. Cloak and Dagger

3

A couple more weeks passed before Dr Jones gave the order to bring Cassie back round to consciousness. The scar on her torso had healed up nicely. The surrounding tissue was no longer red and had faded into a soft pink. She would be sore, but she can enjoy the rest of her recovery confined in Cole’s old quarters. She will be safe there. 

Dr Adler and Dr Jones administered the injection to revive Cassie. The Twelve stood guard nearby to make sure they were not up to some kind of funny business. After a few moment, movement was detected under Cassie’s eyelids, then she softly rocked her head a little and let out a gentle cough before opening her eyes.

It took her a few moments to adjust to the strange blue light in the dark room, then Dr Jones’ face came into focus in her field of vision. “Katarina..." She sighed in recognition. “Where am I?”

“Welcome to 2043, Dr Railly.”

The Leader of the Twelve stepped forward. “Who sent you here? What is the meaning of this?” A look of panic shot over Cassie’s face, as she did not understand what was going on. She thought Katarina was supposed to be one of the good guys. Her heart rate started to race and she felt her balance starting to falter. Her vitals started to become unstable.

“Stand back! She is too weak! Give her space!” Dr Jones barked her orders at the Leader of the Twelve. He stood planted on the spot, with a dangerous look in his eyes. “I said stand back! Are you telling me that you are willing to risk Dr Railly’s life here? I didn’t think so. So stand back!” The pallid hooded figure begrudgingly stepped back, evidently displeased, but out of moves. Evidently they were fearful of what might happen if Dr Railly were to die here, or stay here for longer.

“Stay with me, and listen to what I have to say, and I will get you back to 2015.” Jones whispered almost inaudibly to Cassie. She gave a long hard look into Cassie’s panicked eyes to help her understand that she was under duress, and that they will need to tread a fine line to get out of this quagmire with the upper hand in tact.

Cassie calmed down a bit and accepted Jones’ and Dr Adler’s help to get on her feet. The Twelve eyed Jones suspiciously, but evidently conceding her trump card and afraid of making a wrong move against her. “I will now take the patient to her quarters. She is too weak to splinter. You will keep your distance while the patient is recovering. You don’t want to cause anything that cannot be undone now, do you.” Her eyes flared brightly as she spoke commandingly. Cassie already felt a little safer with Jones by her side.

Once they reached Cole’s old quarters, Jones accompanied Cassie into the room. “You are welcomed to stand by the door, but you are not coming in.” She instructed at the guard who escorted them bossily. Then they were finally alone.

“Listen,” hissed Jones, “I cannot stay in here long or it will arouse suspicion.”

“Where am I Katarina?”

“This is Cole’s old room. I thought you would be more comfortable here.”

_Cole._ Cassie remembers now. She remembers seeing his sad and frightened eyes as he stroked her face tenderly at the splinter table. Cole has always been such a strong person, but she saw the heartbreaking fragility in his eyes when he said through a trembling voice that he wanted to see her soon. At the time, she really thought that was goodbye. Her eyes misted over at the memory.

“Katarina. You have to send me back. You have to send me back to Cole.”

“Be careful what you say out loud here Cassie,” hissed Jones through a low voice, “We don’t know who is listening. Here, take this letter,” and Katarina pulled out a note from her pocket and pushed it into Cassie’s hand, “You will answer my questions, and place a note behind the last cistern in the bathroom by the generator. It is vital that you tell me everything. Please take this time to think carefully.”

Then in a louder voice for the benefit of the guard, Jones recited instructions to Cassie on the medication she will need, how much to take, and spun on her heels to leave the room.

4

Cassie steadied herself on the cot and looked around the room. It was sparse, but it contained a duffle bag with some of Cole’s stuff that she recognised. She pulled out one of his long sleeved grey shirts.

She remembered buying this shirt for Cole that time at the hotel, when she patched up his bullet wound and he was out for days. His old shirt was completely ruined. She held the shirt to her face and breathed in his scent. It still smelled of his skin. She wished so much at that moment that she could reach out and touch his face. She balled her fist around the fabric and held it to her cheek, and a single tear escaped from the corner of her eye. She put the shirt on to feel closer to Cole, even though they were now separated again by a sea of time.

She walked to the door and turned the lock, then sat back down on the bed. She uncurled the note that Katarina handed to her earlier in that cloak and dagger manner, and started reading:

_“Cassie,_

_You must have a lot of questions, so I will get right to the point. Before you arrived, West VII and the Twelve stormed the compound. It appears that they are working together, but their relationship is not what I would call equal._

_The Twelve need me for something, but I don’t know what for. However, we can use this to keep us alive for now. They call themselves representatives of the future. Needless to say, I will provide them no assistance if they intend to harm our mission._

_They want the Time Machine. I surrendered it to them before you arrived when I thought our mission has failed and that we cannot change fate._

_You coming here has stopped the Twelve from progressing with their plans. They say that your arrival is an event outside the bounds of fate. An impossibility. Yet here you are. This means that our mission was never a mistake and we must try again. The dangerous path we must tread begins now. You have to go back in time, but it will be a one way mission._

_Tell me Dr Railly, is Mr Cole alive? What happened after we last saw each other? Did you find Mr Ramse? Did you confirm if he is the Witness?_

_Here at the facility, we have been working on piecing together old information. We found out that Markridge had a new CEO in 2015. We do not have information on this individual. We have reason to suspect that this new CEO is linked to the outbreak of the virus. You must find this person._

_Also, who gave you the time serum? I certainly do not remember giving it to you. In 2015, only myself and Elliot were working on developing this technology. It was not even published and we did not have a working prototype. It appears that my ex-husband knew more and was much more involved with the project than I suspected. You must find answers. You must find out who else had access to this technology in 2015._

_One more thing. Before you splintered here, red ivy appeared on the time machine. You must also find out if this is connected._

_Destroy this note after you read it. There is a lighter on the shelf._

_\- Katarina”_

Cassie’s mind was racing after reading the note. Daunted by the barrage of information and instructions, she got a taste of what it must have felt like for Cole when he was the one being sent back in time to fix things. She scrambled around the room to look for a pen and paper, then started to scribble furiously.

_“Dear Katarina,_

_In answer to your questions, I do have a few answers. Cole is alive. The last time I saw him, we were at the facility together._

_We went looking for Ramse. His name was Ethan Seki and he was a key investor in the Splinter Project. I shot Ramse, because I thought he was the Witness and I thought he was planning on destroying the time machine. Ramse’s guard shot me. Cole shot Ramse’s guard. It was Ramse who gave me the time serum - he said that you would save me, but not him. I think he was going to use it on himself to get back here. Cole said it was about his son. I don’t think Ramse was the Witness._

_I was in a room full of red ivy before I came in and shot Ramse. I don’t know if that means anything to you._

_Jennifer Goines was the new CEO of Markridge. Cole and I attended their corporate event earlier that day. She mentioned that she was cloning a dodo and wanted to return the planet to the animals. Do you think Jennifer released the virus? She was the one to tell us about Ethan Seki and where to find him._

_I’m sorry that I shot Ramse. I think he would have been able to tell us how your husband Elliot was involved and who else he had been working with. I don’t know if Ramse is alive._

_One more thing, Cole and I found Aaron. He was the one who betrayed us. He didn’t tell us much, except that he was in contact with a woman who will kill us all for trying to stop the virus. He got in a fight with Cole and the last I saw him, he was burning in flames in a warehouse._

_Please tell me if anything of this changes anything._

_\- Cassie”_

She quickly folded the note into a small square and slipped it into her pocket. She took the lighter and burned Jones’ earlier note. Finding her feet, she took a deep breath and unlocked the door to her room and peeked her head out. One of the West VII crew were standing guard. Cassie didn’t like the way this filthy man was leering at her and giving her the elevator eyes. He slammed an arm across the doorway to bar her way. “Where do you think you’re going princess?” the man jeered. “My orders are to not let you out of my sight.”

Cassie felt intimidated by this man. There was a wild look in his eyes and there was just no telling what he would be capable of. Compliantly, she said in a meek voice: “I’d like to go to the bathroom please.”

“Why didn’t you just say so.” The man said to her through a creepy grin. He placed two fingers in his mouth and made a loud whistle, then said out loud, “One princess to the loos!” Cassie didn’t like this man at all, but he had a gun. “Walk. I’ll be right behind you.”


	9. Dangerous Escape

5

Cassie had to walk down a dark hallway with flickering lights to get to the bathroom. On the way, she had to step over a couple of dead bodies that were just left there to rot after the gun raid on the facilities. Even though she was a doctor and was used to seeing cadavers, it was never in this kind of setting, where bodies were left uncollected like piles of rubbish left out on the wrong day.

It upset her to see this hard world where Cole came from, where life appeared so cheap, even though there were so few people left. She gagged slightly and felt something sour in her throat. Seeing all this helped Cassie to really understand exactly what a miracle it was that Cole survived in this world and was still able to retain some goodness, gentleness and vulnerability when he was with her.

When Cassie got to the bathroom, she went straight for the last cubicle. She didn’t notice that there was one door that was shut, because she was so focused on getting to the drop point for the note. Before she could close the door, the door to the other cubicle creaked opened, and there stood a man she did not recognise.

“Hello Cassie. My name is Deacon. Nice to meet you.” He said in a silky voice as he stepped forward with his hand outstretched in feigned gallantry. If she thought she didn’t like the look of the guard who marched her to the bathroom, she liked the look of this man even less. Cassie just stood still, not saying a word, remembering Katarina’s warning not to deliver information into the wrong hands. Although he was smiling, it did not reach his eyes, which were cold and unmoving. He had a sinister air about him as he rested his eyes on her breasts. “Come on Cassie, don’t tell me that they don’t teach you manners in the past. That’s where you’re from right?”

Hesitantly, Cassie took his hand to shake it, believing that it would be safer to not stir the hornet’s nest. “Now that wasn’t so hard, was it now?” said Deacon, as he continued to shake her hand. “Tell me, are you one of Cole’s?” Cassie stood rigid at the mention of Cole’s name, and he tightened his grip around her wrist the moment he detected that shift. “Aha, that’s what I thought. Cole was popular with the ladies when he was part of my crew. Did he tell you that part? Of course, in our tribe, they all belong to me.” Growled Deacon as he shoved Cassie into the cubicle and slammed the door shut behind them.

Before she realised what was happening, she felt his dirty hand reach around her body and fasten around her neck. He leaned into her back and started to breathe greedy lecherous words into her ear, spraying her face with his putrid breath. “Cole always liked the sweet ones, but you are something special. Just like the girls out of those magazines. I can’t believe he would think he could have you before I get to have a go first. Really, where are his manners.” He licked the side of her face with a heavy, leathery, disgusting tongue that smelled like a sewer and felt like cold liver. Then the sound of a buckle being undone and a zip coming down, and she felt his other hand yanking down at her trousers.

_“What are you doing? Get your hands off of me! Help! HELP!”_ Cassie screamed out loud in panic. “Oh no you don’t, little missy.” Deacon gripped her throat tight to halt the sound of her scream. “When she says no, she means yes. I always love it when they try to give a fight. Let me give you the Deacon special welcoming party to 2043.” And he fumbled with his other hand to try to get her trousers down.

At first, all Cassie felt was fear and felt herself go numb. A strangled pitiful sound came out of her mouth as helplessness took over and hot tears streamed down her cheek. But then the fear quickly turned to rage as the adrenaline pumped through her body. She felt anger like no other, that this horrid, smelly, filthy man could think he had a right to take her body, and to smear his rancid odour all over Cole’s shirt. She will not have this filth sully the shirt of the man she loved.

She elbowed Deacon hard in the rib and he cried out in pain, then she spun around to kick him square in the dick, which was exposed, crooked and oily looking. Clearly it wasn’t the first time he’d been kicked in the cock, given how awkwardly bent it was. Deacon cried out in pain, but started to laugh maniacally as he realised that she had no escape as his body blocked the door. His face screwed up in anger as he made to lunge at her.

Cassie had to think quick. She knew she was no physical match to this savage beast of a man. She turned around and lifted the heavy ceramic lid off the toilet cistern, raised it above her head, and brought it down hard on Deacon’s head. In less than a second, he was out cold, with blood dripping out of his head. She quickly felt for a pulse, and found that he was alive. Cassie quickly stuffed the note she had in her pocket behind the cistern before getting to work to move Deacon’s body out of the way from the door.

The commotion caused by the shattering cistern lid all over the bathroom floor, alerted others at the compound that there has been a struggle. She could hear the smattering of footsteps approaching the bathroom. “Dr Railly!” Cassie heard Jones’ voice call out to her. “Katarina! I’m in here!” She gave Deacon’s body a final shove and managed to open the door just wide enough to get out.

“My god, Cassie. What happened?” A look of wild concern taking over Katarina’s face.

“I’m ok. I’m ok. He tried to rape me. So I had to take him out. I hit him on the head. He’s alive, but you might want to take a look at that.” said Cassie, her teeth still chattering from all the residual adrenaline, and her eyes darted to behind the cistern only for Jones to see.

Jones eyed Deacon’s slumped body on the floor, looked at Cassie and laughed. “Ha! Good girl! Now go. Marcus!” Jones shouted out, and Marcus appeared on the scene. “Please escort Dr Railly safely back to her room. And make sure no one else gets in.”

With a knowing look, Jones went into the cubicle, retrieved the note and tucked it into her pocket, then looked down at Deacon’s unconscious body. One of the Twelve appeared on the scene at that moment.

“This man just tried to attack Dr Railly. I thought you wanted her to be sent back to 2015, in one piece. If you agree, I think it is in everyone’s interest to lock this man up in one of the dungeons.” said Jones with authority.

The member of the Twelve eyed Jones with consideration. Jones held fast to her stony expression, giving nothing away. “It appears you are right. Very well. But Dr Railly goes back today. Evidently she is strong enough.” Replied the hooded figure. Katarina stepped on Deacon’s crotch as she exited the cubicle, making sure to shoe in an extra twist. “Over to you.” She said matter-of-factly, then walked away down the hallway back to her room.


	10. Goodbye Cassie

6

Katarina examined the note that Cassie wrote and her mind spun around at a million miles an hour. Finally, she decided on what has to be done. She took out a piece of paper and started scribbling furiously.

_“Cassie,_

_I think Jennifer Goines is the key. You have to find her and stop her._

_I remember the name Ethan Seki. He was an investor in the time machine. There will be a conference at Markridge headquarters about this technology - you might have seen a poster for it at the corporate event._

_Listen, I believe that the mission will have to be moved to 2015. This timeline is not worth preserving. My work here will need to be carried on by my younger self. I believe you have met. Show her this note, then explain everything. By the way, she moved after your last encounter. Here is the new postcode - NY 11358. Red building with the horse statue._

_I think the room with the red ivy means that someone had sent plants from the past to 2015. Very interesting. You and my younger self will need to investigate that. It appears that my future, and any hope of completing this mission, is in my past now. There are no straight lines._

_Did Mr Marker die in the fire? You must verify this. If he was connected to the people who killed Mr Cole’s father, you have to be sure. You must also find out about Mr Ramse. I think you are right, Mr Ramse has a son here. If he is not dead, you must ensure that he is no longer working with the people who want to release the virus._

_Once you have splintered successfully, you won’t be coming back here._

_Good luck Cassie. Find Mr Cole. He will protect you._

_\- Katarina.”_

7

“Let me through! I need to see that Dr Railly is ok.” Demanded Katarina to the guard at Cassie’s door.

“I don’t think that is a good idea, Dr Jones.” said one of the hooded figures, stepping out of the shadow with a few others of the Twelve.“Your job now is to set the time machine up and to send Dr Railly back to where she came from, before she does anymore damage to the cycle. She should not be here.”

“Listen, I don’t think you understand. I need to check on her to calibrate her blood composition before I can get the right dosage on the time serum. The levels of medication in her blood can affect how she responds. You don’t want me to send her into the wrong time now, do you?”

“You will go ahead and calibrate the time machine. There is no need for you to see her. The period of interference must come to an end.”

“Or what, are you going to kill me? Go ahead, do it then. Then Dr Railly won’t get sent back at all.” Spat Jones testily. When none of them motioned to make a move against her, she smiled dryly. “As I thought. We’ve already established that you need me. So you’re just going to have to do it my way, whether you like it or not. It appears that you don’t have a choice.”

Jones puffed herself up to look big and squared off with one of the hooded figures, who refused to back down. They stood at a stalemate for a few moments, before the Leader of the Twelve commanded the pallid one to stand down.

“Let her in, but leave the door opened. You will gather the blood sample and return to the Time Machine to complete your calibrations.”

Cassie heard the commotion by the door even before it swung opened. Jones stepped in gingerly with deliberate slow steps, looking straight into Cassie’s eye to let her know that she’s up to something.

With a slight of hand, Jones retrieved an empty syringe from her pocket and used her free hand to push the sleeve of Cole’s shirt up Cassie’s arm. Cassie could feel a note being pushed up into the sleeve, so she helped by holding her arm at an angle that will keep the note safely lodged into position. When Jones was satisfied that no one saw their little exchange, she extracted the blood sample she needed as quickly as she could, then turned and left the room, closing the door sharply behind her.

Cassie hurriedly retrieved the note and slipped into her bra. Now all she could do was wait.

8

A hooded figure appeared at the door. “Time to go, Dr Railly. Come with me.” Cassie cast a final look over Cole’s old room, then followed the man to the splinter chamber.

Dr Adler strapped her into the chair and administered the time serum into Cassie’s arm. “Splintering sequence initiated. Dr Railly, I’m sending you back to 2015. Good luck.” said Jones.

With a blinding flash of light, the Time Machine whirred into life. Cassie could feel a pain build up in her back as the particles making up her body turned into light and got pulled away into the machine. And then she was gone. “It is done.” Said Jones dryly.

Before the hooded figures realised what was happening, Jones pulled out a detonator connected to the bomb she had just remembered was built in to the time machine all along. “You won’t be needing this now. It’s over.” She said with victory in her voice and pushed the trigger. A shock of blinding light filled the room and everything came crashing down.

9

Cassie materialised in an alleyway in Chinatown. It was dark and the shops were closed. It must have been in the dead hours of the morning. It took her a few moments to orientate herself. She recognised the stairwell to the room she shared with Cole on the night before the shooting, just a few doors away. She doesn’t know what day it is.

She went into the room and saw that it was as they had left it. The empty takeaway containers were still strewn on the desk. Cassie sat down and retrieved the note which Katarina had left her and read it with trembling hands, then folded the note and put it back in her pocket.

 _I have to find Katarina._ She picked up the dry empty pen on the desk and scratched a small note amongst the damaged edge of the desk. “See you soon. NY 11358.” She hopes that this will be enough to lead Cole to her. Right now, she needs to find Katarina and explain everything. The mission starts here now, and they are in a race against time.


	11. Chasing Ghosts

**Part 4 - Back in 2015**

1 

While José was sleeping off the effects of the backroom operation since the shooting at the time machine, Cole punched in the postcode which he found scratched into the edge of the table into the GPS of Cassie’s car. He had committed that postcode to his memory before scratching it out completely. He didn’t want to leave a trace to fall into the wrong hands. But he left those three little words. Those three beautiful little words - _See You Soon -_ though seemingly innocuous, were so filled with significance, that they had sent Cole’s heart racing right out of his chest.

He had poured all his love and sorrow into these three little words once, when he cradled Cassie’s fragile dying form at the Centre for Disease Control in 2017, and he said it to her again when he sent her broken body into the time machine and into the unknown. He had to hold on to the belief that this message was somehow left by Cassie for his eyes only. By now, he knew better than anyone how time travel worked. He had no idea how long she might have spent in 2043, but she could be back here right now and knew where to leave him a clue.

As the GPS slowly searched for possible results, Cole could hear himself muttering out loud in impatient tones: _C’mon c’mon c’mon!_ To his bitter disappointment, the postcode threw up a net around a large area in Queens, New York, twenty-eight by thirteen streets wide. There must be hundreds of properties there. He smashed his hand on the wheel in frustration and accidentally hit the horn. The sound blast startled a group of feral cats that were rummaging through the Chinese restaurant’s scrap food pile, and sent them scurrying down the alleyway like bats out of hell.

Finding Cassie was not going to be straightforward, and Cole already knew that he was likely to be driven mad by this search if he does not find her quickly. He knows what it’s like to feel haunted by ghosts. Cole wondered angrily to himself why Cassie did not wait for him at the room, if it was indeed she who had left the message for him to find.

Then the frustration he felt quickly turned to concern. Did something happen to her in 2043? He had to find her to make sure she was ok - to make sure that _they_ were ok. But he also can’t leave José on his own here, because Queens is far away, and this search could take more than a few days. Cole knew that once he was there, he would not stop until every single house was searched.


	12. Oh Brother

2

Back up in the room, José started to stir but was going in and out of consciousness. He was in no state to talk. Although clearly weak, he did seem to be healing unusually fast. It was still early in the morning. Every now and then, Cole would bring his brother a glass of water and help him drink. With every hour that passed, the recovery he made was seemingly equalled to that of a day for a normal human being. Cole decided that he had to keep himself distracted as he had no choice but to wait. He had grabbed Cassie’s laptop from the car and set that up at the desk.

Cassie had shown him how to use the internet. Even though he wasn’t very good at it, he was determined to get the hang of it. Five year olds in 2015 knew how to use the internet, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to be beaten by a kid. He kept his head down learning as much as he could about the Markridge group, now that he knew that Jennifer Goines was the new CEO.

He found some information on their corporate news section about conferences that were to be held in twelve different cities around the world starting from next month. _Twelve._ _Twelve’s not primary -_ he remembered Jennifer saying once. He could still hear her deranged manic husky voice ringing in his head. _Could this be significant?_ He had to find Cassie before then. She always knew what to do. She was the smart one when it came to corporate espionage.

By the afternoon, José was sitting up on the bed and able to talk. “Hey brother. Thanks for coming back for me.” At the sound of his voice, Cole turned around and looked at José with a weary look in his eyes. Cole hadn’t slept at all, and his eyes were shot. He was running on adrenaline now, making him twitchy and on edge. Now that José seemed to have regained some of his strength, Cole was hit with a sense of unease, unsure whether he did the right thing and if he could trust this man whom he thought he once knew. His anxiety and heightened state of alert must have been written right across his face.

“Cole, we need to talk.” José’s voice was weary with age. He sounded like an old man. Cole had half expected José to try to say something funny, but that was the José from a generation ago. He was a more sombre person now.

Cole grunted, not taking his eyes off José’s face, trying to detect any hint of a double-cross.

“I understand if right now you’re not sure whether to trust me. I would feel the same.” There was a sadness and a look of humanity in José’s dark marble round eyes, which left Cole inclined to hear him out. But he was still cautious. A moment of silence passed between them, before Cole finally said: “Ok, talk.”

“Cole, it’s been twenty-eight years since I last saw you. I thought you were dead.”

“Well, 1987 was less than a week ago for me.” His eyes hardened and his eyebrows shot up when he spat those words out, to let Ramse know that the experience of being stabbed at the club was still raw for him.

Ramse’s eyes dropped at the distant hazy memory, and he sighed. “I’m so sorry Cole. I’m not sure how to make you believe it, but I am. How did you…?”

“I’m not telling you anything until you tell me what you have been doing all these years.” Cole’s lips hardened into a flat line. His face trembled as he held a hard gaze, casting a dangerous flash in his otherwise gentle eyes.

Ramse knew that look, and understood that he had to show his hand first. “I was arrested after what happened at the club, Cole. You see, I didn’t exist as far as the authorities were concerned. I could not even prove that I was an American. I was in prison for many years, a refugee of time. It really felt like my life had ended, but Olivia -” Cole flinched at the mention of that name, and Ramse gave him the look that said _I know_ , before continuing, “- was there to give me a new identity and promised me that I could see my son again one day. The thought of being able to return to my son as if just a week had passed for him, kept me going, no matter how many years it would have taken me to get there. I just wanted to protect him. But I tried to protect you too.”

“And how exactly did you do that, hmm?” Cole challenged his brother. “Why would you do that if you thought I was already dead?”

“Part of me had always harboured the hope that you somehow managed to survive the incident at the club, because I did not see you die. The lawyer that came to see me at the prison said that they never did find a body.”

Cole considered this information, and decided that was plausible, because it was true. He didn’t say anything in response though, to allow Ramse to carry on.

“There were a number of times over the years when Olivia and the Whistler felt they had the chance to kill you or Cassie, but I tried to convince them that you two had to be kept alive. Olivia was more inclined to follow my advice. That tall man though, I don’t think he really trusted me. But it was all I could do, brother. I wish I could have done more.”

“You could have killed yourself in prison and never have helped these people. They want to release the virus José! How could you side with them?”

“Tell me brother, if you thought you were powerless to stop the virus, but that there was a chance that you would see Cassie again, wouldn’t you play along too?” Cole remembered the feeling he had the other night, when Cassie was in his arms, about how he thought he would die with no regrets if he could just be allowed to spend his days by her side until 2017. He hated to admit that on some level, he understood Ramse’s sentiment.

“They were the only ones who could help me get back to 2043, much as I hated the idea. I still want to be with my son again. I love my son. And I loved Elena more than anything in the world. He was all that was left of us.”

Cole snorted, not sure if he should feel sorry for this man who has just basically admitted that he had chosen to risk the future of all of humanity for just one boy. He never knew his brother was capable of being so selfish. José could guess what Cole must have been thinking, as he saw his brother’s jaw harden.

“I know what you must be thinking, but believe me when I say that this has always been bigger than me Cole. Whether I ‘helped’ them or not, there were other travellers amongst them. My help alone did not cause the virus. I was just a puzzle piece, not the linchpin. They would have released the virus sooner if it weren’t for me trying to convince them that they had to play the long game. This world would already be over if I hadn’t have gotten involved. If it wasn’t for me, there wouldn’t even be a working time machine in 2015. Maybe this way, there’s still a way for all of us to salvage what’s left.”

“What do you mean that they would have released the virus sooner? How do I know you’re not lying to me?”

Ramse sighed, and nodded at the bright screen behind Cole’s shoulder, which still had the page on Jennifer Goines’ world tour listed to start next month. “Looks like they are already trying to make it happen sooner. That’s not how I told them it was supposed to happen. Looks like they don’t agree that it’s important to stick to the timeline as we know it.”

“Jennifer? She releases the virus? But it’s only 2015!”

“I want to stop her too, brother. If she releases the virus now, we might have never survived. We were too young in 2015. We were too weak and unprepared.”

Cole let the significance of those words sink into him. Much as he hated to admit it, but Ramse was right. They wouldn’t have stood a chance against scavs in 2015. This isn’t his work.

“Do you believe me now, brother?”

Cole’s head was spinning with this new information. He still regarded Ramse with some suspicion.

“I’ve lost Sam already now. I get that now. Can’t you see that Cole? You’re talking to a man who has nothing to lose. The only thing I have left now, is you. We’ve been through too much already. You’re still my brother. Believe it or not, I’d rather it worked out for you than for everything to go to hell for all of us. If the virus gets out now, we’re already ghosts.”

“But we’re not dead. We’re here. How do I know that you aren’t still going to try to release the virus in 2017?”

Ramse had to admit that this was a good question, so he had to think carefully about what he could possibly say in answer to that.

“I don’t have the virus Cole. The people who have the virus clearly have decided that they don’t need me anymore. They want me dead and gone as much as they want you dead and gone. How am I supposed to release the virus when I don’t have it and the people who have it, have no use for me? What possible influence do I have now?”

Cole stayed silent, not knowing what to believe.

“Besides, Jones was wrong. Time doesn’t really work that way. She always did go on about Gödel. But there are no straight lines or clean circles for that matter. We, as we are now, won’t get erased if they succeed in getting us killed. Our pasts will simply be relegated to a future that no longer exists for us, a future with a decaying fabric of time - a future that we can’t travel to anymore even with a time machine. Our past - the future as we know it - is already over if we don’t do anything now. The only thing that matters now is what we do from here.”

Getting his head around complicated time theories was a little beyond Cole right now, but he decided to risk putting his faith back in Ramse for the moment, even though part of him still doesn’t think he deserves it. Slowly, Cole’s face softened and his shoulders relaxed. Finally, he let out a sigh and found himself conceding out loud. “Yeah, ok. I believe you. But if I find out that you are lying to me, I might have to finish what Cassie started and kill you myself.”

José let out a weak smile, and a sense of resigned gratitude filled his eyes. “So we’re good?”

Cole nodded, resigning himself to this uneasy alliance. “So what happens now?” He asked.

“Looks like it’s you and me against the world again for now, brother.” Responded José hopefully.

“Maybe it doesn’t have to be just you and me. I need to find someone who might be able to help.” A wild hopeful look flashed across Cole’s face at that moment, and it didn’t pass José by.

“Do you mean... Cassie? But how?”

Cole nodded hesitantly, not daring to hope, but also not daring to give up. He remembered his father’s last words to him: _The only failure is giving up._ “Well, maybe that little stunt you pulled back at the time machine worked. Maybe she’s back already. And I need to find her.”

Ramse nodded. “I hope so too, brother, for you. Hey… you never told me… what happened after the club.”

“You almost killed me there Ramse. Almost. Jones managed to slingshot me to Cassie, who tracked me - my younger self - down at my father’s garage. Jones told her that if she injected me with my own blood, that it could repair the damage done to me through all the time travel and save my life. Looks like it took a paradox to bring my dying ass back. But that means I can’t time travel anymore. This is my life now. Like you, I live here now.”

“She must really love you, to go to those lengths for you.” Cole couldn’t help but smile. After all this time, it still made it feel more real when his brother said it out loud. “Wait… how did Jones tell Cassie?”

“She must have known the whole time because I can tell you, Jones never did change much in twenty-eight years.” Both of them laughed at the memory of the bossy, confident lady with the mission to save the world.

“Well, maybe she didn’t know all along. Her past may not be the same thing as your past, Cole. The fact that Jennifer is trying to release the virus now means that things are different. We can’t trust what we know about the future, our past, anymore.”

After another moment, Ramse continued: “Cole, I hate to say it but you’re going to need my help. You can’t just run around in 2015 with no ID and no money. It’s a different world here, a different jungle. One wrong move, and you could get arrested like I did and never see the light of day again. And if what you’re telling me is true, you aren’t going to get pulled back to 2043 to get you out of trouble this time. If she’s back, you’re no use to her in jail.”


	13. Shadow Walkers

3

Ramse had twenty-eight years of experience living in the shadows of society, so he learned a thing or two about how to move undetected. He knew a guy known only as the _Shadow Walker_ who could forge new identities for the both of them. This man was a hacker extraordinaire. He worked fast, and was able to get new identities for Ramse and Cole by the next day. He got a new licence plate for them to fit onto Cassie’s car. He even managed to seamlessly move the money anonymously from the shadow account that Ramse owned under a false name, into new bank accounts made to look like they had been set up many years ago. Even the transactions had false dates on the system.

Unfortunately for the _Shadow Walker_ , he couldn’t be allowed to live after he handed over the new documents and account details for Cole and Ramse. Much as he hated the idea, Ramse knew that word could not get back to Olivia and her lot. It had to be clean. He used an unregistered gun with a silencer, made it quick and painless, and left no trace except for some evidence of a government hack the _Shadow Walker_ was recently responsible for. This was so that if the authorities found his body, they’d hush it up to cover up potential embarrassment. The man had many potential enemies, given the business he was in, so there was no risk that suspicion would fall back on Ramse. Still, it was an actual shame that such a brilliant mind had to go.

Cole had to admit that the cold efficiency with which Ramse finished off this ingenious nerd was a little frightening. This was not something that they had learnt how to do through their time together in 2043. It was moments like this that left Cole wondering whether he really knew the man who was sat opposite to him, and what he was capable of.

They sat in awkward silence for a moment at the dingy little diner, eating their cheeseburgers without exchanging any words.

“I’m sorry Cole, I know how this must look. I feel bad about what happened to him too. But we only…”

And then he mouthed the word _kill_ soundlessly, before continuing in a low voice.

“… _if we have to_. It was him or us. 2015 is a different kind of brutal compared to 2043, but some things stay the same. Here you can’t afford to leave a trace. Nothing can link back to us. We have to be survivors.”

Cole never did mention to Ramse about the postcode he found at the room, and at this moment he was mulling through his mind about whether he should share this precious bit of information with him or not. Would Ramse be a risk to Cassie? He can’t put her in danger again, if she is to be found there.

“We don’t have much time to stop Jennifer, brother. She thinks I’m dead, so I cannot risk showing my face. You’re going to need help. You have to find Cassie, and maybe even Jones too.”

Cole stiffened for a moment, feeling conflicted about whether it was a good idea to involve Ramse in the search for Cassie and Jones. On the one hand, Ramse did seem to know how to handle a crisis in 2015. On the other hand, the calculated ruthlessness with which he manages to achieve that is a little difficult for Cole to square with.

After a time, Cole said hesitantly: “Don’t take this the wrong way, Ramse. I really appreciate everything you’ve done to help me. No, I’m serious. But I think this is something I need to do on my own.”

Ramse had to admit that he felt a little disappointed that after all this, his brother still had doubts about him. But he was also old enough and world weary enough to appreciate that his brother was just trying to be smart about it for once. He couldn’t help but feel a little proud of him, even though it hurt.

“I understand, Cole. You’re just trying to protect her. You must really love her. Now that’s something. But maybe there’s still a way for me to help?”

“I’m not sure how you can help now Ramse.”

“Well… you don’t have to tell me any specifics, but, tell me, how do you plan on finding her?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t worked that out yet.”

“Ok. Let’s think about this for a moment. I will admit, I don’t know how to help you find Cassie, but maybe with Jones… or should I say, perhaps Ms Werner… I have a feeling that you will find her in New York.”

“How do you know that?” Shot Cole defensively.

“Whoa… easy brother. I know you’re still wondering whose side am I really on. I’m not playing any games here. I know I’m in no position to convince you of that right now. So I’m just going to say this. You know that serum that I had? The one I gave Cassie? I got that from Dr Elliot Jones. Are you following me brother? He lives in New York, so it would make sense that Jones - _our Jones_ \- might be in the same city. That’s all I can think of. I recommend that you check the land registry. These are public records. You might find a clue there.”

Cole regarded Ramse coolly, but had to admit that his idea was clever, and might save him the time and the risk of being arrested by trying to bust down every door in the postcode he had. “Thanks for that. Maybe that helps.”

“I understand why you feel like you have to do this on your own, so I will leave you alone. Here,” and he passed Cole a slip of paper with an address and a phone number, “so you know where to find me if you need me. I hope you will call me Cole. And if you ever figure out a way to send me back to 2043… well… you know where I am. Send me back to my son so you don’t have to worry about me being around in 2017.” And with that, he slipped some dollar bills on the table, got up and walked towards the door of the diner.

“Wait Ramse! How do I get to these records?”

Ramse let out a small chuckle and looked at Cole with a gentle smile. “Just google it.” Then he turned and walked out of the door, leaving the ball entirely in Cole’s court.


	14. Drive

4

Cole didn’t find any name matches with the postcode he found. He actually felt relieved to know that Ramse wouldn’t be able to track Jones down using public records. But he did remember the address he carried in his pocket since Cassie died in 2017 - the address of the very same apartment which Cassie performed the plastic gun stick up. There was no one there, except for a few removal men carrying the last remaining boxes out of the apartment to load into a van. _Dammit! She’s not here._

The momentary flash of panic and the urge to hit something subsided quickly though. Cole must have been adapting to 2015 better than he thought, as he started to use his brain a little bit more. He made a quick decision to follow the van to see where it would lead him. 

Cole trailed the van carefully through a network of busy streets, his breath hitching with anticipation as with each turn, the path seemed to be leading closer towards Queens. He had to steady himself a few times, because he hadn’t had any sleep since he was last with Cassie. Sure, in the apocalypse, his record for staying up was four days straight. But here, there were many more eyes on him so he can’t afford to drive badly and get called in. He never did learn how to drive properly, but he is observant if anything, and had carefully watched Cassie drive many times. He thinks he can manage this if he just concentrates.

Eventually, he noticed the van slow down in front of a red house with a statue of a horse in front of it. Cole didn’t want to be obvious, so he drove past and turned a corner, before finding a space to park. He was so tired, but the blood in his veins pumped wildly as he was now so close to where he might find Cassie. Quietly, he got out of the car and walked the few blocks back to the corner of the road where the house stood. He waited patiently until the removal men cleared the last box and finally closed the doors on the back of the van to leave. He watched as the van pulled away back down the direction from which it came.

Every step he took now felt heavy and foreboding. He clutched at his chest where his heart was pumping furiously. _What if she’s not here? What if it’s only Jones?_ The thought of not being able to see Cassie again right now drove him to the edge of madness. He had to hold on to the wall of the porch to steady himself and his breathing. With all his hopes and dreams held on a knife edge in this heady moment, Cole positioned himself in front of the peephole and brought his finger up to the buzzer, and held it down firmly for two seconds.

It could have been ten or twenty seconds, but it felt like an eternity before anyone came to the door. Cole heard some light footsteps pad towards the doorway from the other side and saw a flash of darkness pass over the peephole before he heard the door handle click.

A head of beautiful blond hair, a smooth angelic face, blue eyes overfilled with a wild mix of emotions, and a neck covered with finger bruise marks appeared before his eyes. They stood gazing transfixed into each other’s face for a moment, then Cole’s eyes dropped down upon the marks on her neck.The joy he felt from seeing Cassie standing in front of him immediately mixed with inexplicable sorrow as he wondered who laid their hands on her in 2043. Cassie was still wearing Cole’s shirt from 2043, but it was tinged with a smell that Cole recognised from somewhere else which he couldn’t place right away.

Without saying a word, Cassie balled her hand into Cole’s shirt and yanked him into the doorway, slamming it shut behind them. She pushed him against the wall hard and smashed her lips against his before letting out deep sobs of relief. The kiss she gave went salty with tears. A moment later her head was buried into Cole’s neck, her fists still held fast in a bunch on Cole’s chest as she continued to sob. It’s been weeks for Cassie, and only a day since she was attacked by Deacon. Cole just held her close, stroking her hair with one hand, his other arm encircled tightly around her shoulders protectively as he kissed her forehead. “It’s ok Cass. Shh… I’m here now. I found you.” Slowly, the sound of Cassie’s sobs subsided. She still hadn’t said a word.

“Welcome back, Mr Cole,” said a reassuringly familiar and unsentimental German voice from down the hallway, “It appears that the three of us have a lot to discuss.”


	15. Wall of Crazy

4

In her usual brusque business-like manner, Jones proceeded to debrief Cole and Cassie in her new living room. They were surrounded by unpacked boxes. After leaving the two of them at the children’s home, Jones had made a quick decision to move to a new address so that she would not be so easily found by these two, in case further encounters would mess up with the causality of temporal physics. Yet here she is, forced to sit opposite these two warriors of time again. She guessed that maybe it was fate after all that their paths should cross again. She did say that were it to happen, they will then find the answers together.

Cassie looked thinner, and bore all the signs of having survived massive trauma to her body and weeks of uneasy recovery. Her hair looked limp and heavy under in a layer of her own stale sweat. It didn’t take a scientist and a doctor like Jones to know that something had happened to her and it didn’t happen in just a day. Cole just looked like he hasn’t had any sleep at all, although he could use a wash too.

Jones recognised her own handwriting from the note which Cassie gave her, when she showed up at her door in a trembling mess a few hours ago. You can’t forge messy doctor’s handwriting. She certainly didn’t provide any samples for Cassie to work from, so there was no doubt in her mind that this was the real deal. If Jones was shocked and ruffled by such huge news, she certainly didn't show it. She had, however, interrogated Cassie right away, to learn as much as she could about her adventures with Cole and what happened in 2043.

When Cole turned up, Jones was unsentimental about Cole and Cassie's reunion. As far as she was concerned, she barely knew these people. Matters pertaining to their well being will just have to take a back seat. She decided that it was more important to immediately pump more information from Cole first, to help confirm her own suspicions of what the 2043 version of herself expected her to do now. After all, she had a lot to get up to speed with.

Jones needed to feel sure about what she meant by passing the torch of the mission back to her 2015 self. When Cole mentioned that Jennifer Goines may be planning to release the virus in a matter of weeks, Jones felt that there was no time to lose. She was never one to go out without a fight.

She tried to ignore the stink that clung to both Cole and Cassie, as they hadn’t had the chance to clean themselves up since the hiatus. It's another reason why Jones didn't want to be a doctor of people and preferred to be a physicist - she was easily put off by the stench of sickness and injury.

Jones did not let Cole and Cassie sit on the sofa because they smelt bad and she didn’t want them to contaminate the upholstery. She took out two folding chair - wipe clean ones, of course - and motioned for them to sit down on them. She held a mug of strong coffee under her nose to mask the smell. She will talk to them first before letting them out of her sight for the night.

Jones disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a wooden cutting board with a few slices of German rye bread, Limburger cheese, tomato, and cold meats. She hadn't completely forgotten her hospitality. Cole moved towards the platter and fixed Cassie an open sandwich, willing her to eat. She still looked pale and weak, and Cole could guess that she hadn’t had much real food for some time and needed this. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as she ate her food gratefully. A little bit more colour started to return to her cheeks.

Over what seemed like hours, Jones drilled Cole for information on the status of the mission in 2043. What did they know? What information were they missing at the time? Who were the main players at the Project Splinter Team? What about Ramse? Who were their enemies at the time? What were the threats identified? Aaron? And, she couldn't resist asking - what was she like?

Cole listened in silence when it was Cassie’s turn to speak, this time more for his benefit, as Cassie had already recounted these details to Jones earlier. She described what happened to the facility, how it had been taken over by West VII and these people who called themselves the representative of the future. _Would Ramse know something about these people?_

Cole still hadn’t made up his mind whether to get back in touch with Ramse. This was a decision that he would need to involve Katarina and Cassie in. Cole could guess now that Deacon had done something to Cassie. Who else would have tried to help themselves to her? He recognised the pungent smell that clung to her shirt. He knows that him and Cassie will need to talk later, when Jones is done with them.

When Cole mentioned that Ramse said it took time travel to create time travel, Jones decided that maybe she was never meant to have made the final breakthroughs in the technology on her own after all. She asked a few more questions hoping that somehow, something that Cole could tell her, would help her to overcome the final stumbling blocks to unlocking bidirectional time travel. Like a Tasmanian dirt devil, Jones plotted every bit of information onto scraps of paper which she then stuck to her “Wall of Crazy”, moving them around occasionally to make links that only she saw.

It was around sunset when the interrogation started. By the end, the skies were dark outside and the light from the street lamp flooded into the living room through the window. “From all the information I have now gathered, I have reason to believe that the facility in 2043 has now been destroyed. Maybe by me. I know I would be tempted. I must remember to build a self-destruct mechanism into that machine when I get the chance. But no matter, we have a time machine in 2015 which can be perfected ahead of schedule. I am going to have to ask the two of you for samples of your blood. There should still be chemical traces in there that I can analyse and gather information from. Perhaps it will contain the key to perfecting the time serum I’ve been working on, and perhaps even answers to completing the time machine. We may still need time travel to stop this virus, and it looks like I don’t have much time to get it working.”

Cassie shifted uneasily at this suggestion, but did not put up any resistance. She understood that maybe Jones would want to send her through the machine again. She shuddered at the memory of 2043. Cole noticed this, and pulled her shoulder towards him protectively as he understood exactly what her worries were.

Jones unpacked a box and took out two syringes, which she quickly filled with samples of Cole’s and Cassie’s blood. “It’s getting late, Mr Cole, Dr Railly. I will be going to the lab tonight to carry out some tests. You two, you can clean yourselves up and take the guest room.” She threw two towels towards the both of them and pointed to the bathroom door. “I don’t have any clean clothes for you right now I’m afraid. I wasn’t expecting guests so soon. I’m sorry, but you’re not getting into bed with these filthy rags that you are wearing - I will never get the smell out. I will pick up some clothes for you on my way back. Get some rest. See you in the morning.”


	16. Tender Moments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They will always be a slow burn... it's what makes them one of the most beautiful fictional couplings.

5

Cole and Cassie were finally alone in Jones’ house. “Cass…” Cole started, but broke off when he realised he wasn’t sure how to talk about the elephant in the room. His eyes hovered for a few seconds over the bruise marks on her neck before he returned to tentatively meet her gaze. He wasn’t really sure if he was ready to hear about what happened to her, especially now that there was no way for him to get to 2043 to kill Deacon himself for what he did. Cassie reached out and touched him gently on the arm, “I’m ok now, Cole. You’re here.”

“No, you’re not ok, but we don’t have to talk about it right now. Let’s get you cleaned up first. Stay here.” The whole time they were talking to Jones, Cole had kept an eye on Cassie, and worst case scenarios had ran through his mind about what might have happened to her. His stomach had twisted up in nauseating distress, but he knew he couldn’t make this about him. He felt numb, but he did his best to step up, even though he felt a bit useless right now

Cole grabbed the towels and went to the bathroom. It was a really nice bathroom with a large roll top bathtub with a separate glass cased rainforest shower to the side. Dr Jones must have been quite a well-paid doctor indeed. Cole bent down by the bathtub and started to fill it with hot water, testing the temperature as water gushed out of the sleek silver tap.

He looked around and found an opened box marked toiletries in the corner of the room. Jones had barely moved in herself it seemed, and nothing was in its place yet. Cole fumbled around the box and picked out a few bottles of fragrant liquids - shampoo, conditioner and bath soap, and placed them on a small table by the tub. He emptied some bath soap into the stream of hot water and absent-mindedly watched as the bubbles started to form on the surface of the water, trying to focus on the task at hand instead of the uncomfortable suspicions that Deacon may have violated Cassie in an unforgivable way. The room started to fill with a sweet comforting almond scent. Satisfied that he got the mix right, he walked back to the living room and held out a hand to Cassie. She placed her hand into his and allowed him to lead her to the bathroom.

Placing Cassie into the steaming room, Cole swept his hands over the gentle curve of her shoulders and upper arm soothingly, and said in a gentle reassuring tone: “The bath should be ready for you in a few minutes.” He kissed her lightly on the forehead and stroked her hair against the sides of her face. He didn’t care that she was dirty, she was still beautiful to him. He turned to walk out to give her some privacy.

He wasn’t expecting this, but he felt a gentle tug on his arm willing him to stop. “Don’t go. Stay here with me Cole.” She said with a timid, barely audible voice. Cole’s eyes widened as he understood her meaning. His heart skipped a beat before he slowly nodded in agreement to her request. He’d do anything she asked right now, but only what she asked of him. He walked towards the tub and turned off the faucets.

6

It wasn’t how he imagined the moment would be like, when he would finally get to see Cassie naked for the first time. He is a red blooded male after all, and he was madly in love with her, so of course he had imagined different scenarios in his mind. But that didn’t really matter now. He just wanted to take care of her and to make her feel safe again. He will just have to control his urges.

Carefully, he gathered the hem of the dirty shirt which clung to Cassie’s body and peeled it off over her head and up-stretched arms. His breath hitched at the sight of her graceful curves and his eyes lingered on the fresh scar on her torso. He ran his hand lightly over it. His eyes scrunched up slightly at the sadness he felt from seeing that. He had put Cassie in danger and here are the scars to prove it.

The bleak horror of 2043 was nothing that she could have prepared for, but Cassie didn’t want to feel sad or frightened anymore. She wanted it to be just _them_ again. Without saying a word, she reached out to Cole and helped him out of his musky shirt, which still carried her blood stains from the other night, and let her hand linger for a moment on his shoulders and chest to enjoy the feeling of his bare skin under her touch. A warming shiver passed through her body, letting her know that she has come home. She turned around to let him help her out of the clasp of her bra before she slipped it off, exposing her breasts to the cool, crisp air of the room.

They stood there for a moment just taking in each other’s form. Cole was mesmerised by her beauty, causing him to take a sharp intake of breath. A shy smile formed on Cassie’s lips, and Cole couldn’t help but to feel warmed by it. He let Cassie take off the rest of her clothes and get into the tub first, trying not to stare too hard at her smooth, round bottom as she turned to get in. Unfortunately, he knew Deacon well enough and was certain that she had been subjected to a large dose of his heavy-handed lechery. He didn’t dare do anything right now that might remind her of that ugly experience. He would be gentle and unassuming tonight, to be the antidote to the trauma.

Cassie sunk carefully into the tub, enjoying the delicious heat of the water, allowing the bubbles to rise up around and envelop her body. A grateful sigh escaped from her, as she started to feel the water wash away the pain. She turned to look at Cole, who was still standing there with his trousers on, and her heart swelled as she thought about what a lucky girl she was to have this handsome and gorgeous man looking after her. She thought it was very sweet and thoughtful of Cole that he was clearly waiting for her to call the shots, knowing that he was perfectly capable of behaving in a much more alpha manner. She loved that he had these two sides to him, and that he didn’t push things right now.

Cassie scooted forward in the tub to let him know without words that it was ok for her if he got in behind her. She cast her eyes at her hands whilst Cole worked his trousers off just behind her field of vision. He slipped quietly into the tub and brought his legs to rest on either side of her body. She leaned back into his chest and placed her hand to rest on his knee. The feel of her bare skin against his body sent a warm rush right through Cole’s body and sent his mind melting. _Down boy!_ He tried very hard at that moment to moderate the blood flow to his manhood, only half succeeding. He wondered if he was going crazy to feel so affected by their connection. _What he wouldn’t do for her._ He set his mind back to focus on taking care of her immediate needs, reminding himself that this moment is not about him.

He placed his hands onto her shoulders to start to work away the dirt on her back, bringing water to her neck and her arms to sweep away the stains. He allowed his hands to slide down the sides of her back and for his fingertips to brush at the soft sides of her breasts. Cassie leaned in to the sensuality of his touch, enjoying the delicious slow burn of pleasure. He could feel the tense knots gathered at her shoulders and back, a painful side effect of splintering. He carefully worked the surface of his thumbs in slow, smooth circles over her muscles and alongside her spine to ease out some of the tension. Cassie let out soft moans and sighs as her battered body took in waves of his therapeutic touch, like a desert flower drinking in the rain. She let Cole wash her hair for her, removing weeks of built up grime. His fingers in her hair were heaven, her scalp tingled and responded eagerly to his touch.

Slowly, Cassie turned around and repeated the ritual on Cole until both of them were completely clean. She had to prop Cole up against her body as he melted into her touch. He almost forgot how exhausted he was, and the soothing, beautiful feel of her hands and fingers over his skin was comforting bliss, almost sending him to sleep. By now, the water in the tub had cooled down and it was time to get out.

Cole reached for a towel and wrapped it gently around Cassie body so that she wouldn’t feel like she was made to be on show, and ran his towel over her hair before putting it around himself. He picked up a wide toothed comb and carefully combed the knots out of Cassie’s hair, before picking up the blow dryer to dry her hair. He remembered seeing Cassie use one of these before when she did her hair up all pretty for events. She needed a good night’s sleep, and wet hair is no good for that. His hair was shorter and thinner than hers, and had already started to dry on its own.

“Thank you Cole.” Said Cassie gratefully, turning around to plant a soft, lingering kiss on his lips. He smiled into her kiss. Cole’s fingers rested gently on the side of her neck as he brushed the bruises with his thumb. He swallowed the lump in his throat before daring to finally ask.

“Cass… did Deacon…?” He couldn’t even bring himself to finish the sentence, but the pained look in his eyes said it all. _Why was it so hard?_ Cassie shook her head gently and even managed a soft laugh. “No. He tried to. But…” Her hand rose to touch her neck. “... I took him out before he could.”

“You took him out?” Cole's eyebrows shot up and he couldn’t help but let out a short laugh of surprise and relief. The built up tension held in his gut started to let go at that moment.

“I hit him on the head with something heavy. He was unconscious and bleeding when I got away from him.” Both of them laughed together after she put it that way. He was so proud of her, and so grateful that the worst didn’t happen to her when he wasn’t there to protect her.

“You know, you really are tougher than you look Cass. That’s what I love about you.”

Cassie wrapped her arms around Cole and leaned into him to hide the blush on her cheeks. _Did he just say that he loved me?_ He could actually feel her smile on his chest.

“Let’s go to bed.”

They slipped in under the bed covers naked, feeling the cool sheets against their skin. It was cold at first, but they held on closely to each other to allow their body heat to warm the bed. With their arms around each other, and legs lightly intertwined, they finally succumbed to exhaustion. Although it was clear to the both of them that they desired each other very much, tonight they made an unspoken agreement to just enjoy the moment and to keep it pure. _There’s always the morning_. Being in the warmth and safety of each other’s arms was all they wanted and needed tonight. In this perfect tender moment, Cole finally nodded off to sleep, wrapped up in the warm glow of intimacy shared between him and the most beautiful woman in the world that he will ever know. They both slept with smiles on their faces.

  



End file.
